How Do You Handle Employees Showing Signs of Unhappiness and Acting Distant?

This happens too often - an employee suddenly starts acting weird and showing signs of unhappiness. I am going to put in my ways of dealing with this, and I would like other members to put in theirs.

This is usually the first sign of an employee going astray from his/her responsibilities and eventually shifting to another organization in hope that it'll help change the way he/she is feeling.

The main reasons I feel this happens:
1) Overworked employees.
2) Under-appreciated employees.
3) Lack of challenges.
4) Less interaction/feedback from superiors.

While we can't do much about the workload - if there's a lot of work, there's a lot of work - and we can't artificially create challenges for the employee - most will be too absurd and will seem phony. We can, however, change the way we interact with our employees.

While it is crucial to NOT become familiar with your employees, it's very important to have a dialogue with them if you want to be a good leader. A dialogue will help create a sense of belonging and purpose, and that is the best approach to keeping an employee happy.

Here are a few things I do to help ease the unhappiness:

* Speak to the employee directly and ask them what is wrong - why he/she seems distant and bothered. They will most probably say there's nothing wrong - if they do come out with an issue - don't victimize them for speaking up - don't promise them action - but rather discuss why the problem is occurring - and if it's something that you can do nothing about - try to elaborate on why the situation exists.

* The next day - start up another casual interaction with the employee - direct the conversation towards the employee's past experiences - in other jobs or in other positions. They will most likely describe problems they had - don't discuss the problems but rather encourage them to elaborate on how they landed up in your organization.

* Cease conversation on such topics and talk mainly about work and problems that need to be solved. This will create the sense of challenge, and the focus will be shifted to the employee's responsibilities in the organization.

This is how I deal with such employees - and it has worked fairly well in almost all cases.

Please share your opinions and ideas about how to deal with such situations.

And many times employees and you all know what the situation is, and under the present circumstances, not much change can be expected in the near future.

If there is no challenge in the work or no work available for many employees - In such cases, if management (CEO or some director acting as the center head) could hold a meeting with all employees and express the company's inability to provide challenging work, and ask employees to be patient and give some more time to the situation, sometimes employees are very supportive and hold back all their dissatisfaction. You can expect this support to range between 2 - 6 months.

This is what I have seen many times. Employees have this need to directly hear from the horse's mouth; HR cannot give the required pill to the anxiety employees face. An act of public address by one of the senior-most directors goes a long way in holding back employees for some more time before they consider a job change.

Excellent point, Geeta. I don't understand why doing such a simple thing as interacting positively with employees outside work discussion is such a hurdle for many managers.

This should be one of the primary views to spread through CiteHR - "interact with your employees." There are, of course, many other things that need to be considered - on an employee-to-employee basis. Some believe that familiarizing too much with your employees can backfire very badly.

Any other viewpoints?

"Hmm... 'interact with your employees', that's a good point. But, what if a boss shows the same attitude when everything goes well? Putting it simply, how to manage the manager?"

Hi, CHR,

Have you ever noticed one thing?

If a brainstorming session is expected on a relevant issue, there won't be many to contribute. Most of the time, the threads I started went unnoticed. So the conclusion may be that it is either too difficult to attempt or it does not pique the interest of people enough to participate.

Now, coming to getting closer to employees; I consider it to be more about the personal effectiveness of people in handling colleagues. Sometimes it comes with maturity, and other times people have to learn it.

1 - It is very common that certain people fail to draw limits between achieving common interests and taking advantage of professional closeness.

2 - One should always try to achieve win-win or make it clear to others that they are not at least prepared for a lose-win with anyone in the name of a professional relationship.

I try to make it clear to everyone that I am a friend as long as you are not expecting me to do any undue favors. Sometimes I may still make mistakes, but at least 90% of the time I cannot be, although exceptions will always be there. :-P

So, it all depends on how people manage relations in professional life.

Communicating professionally means, to me, letting people know clearly what I can do for them without making them feel obliged, and telling them clearly what my expectations are from them as employees of this company. I have never felt that anything has ever backfired, and I also make it clear that if there is anything within limits we could do for each other, then let us make each other smile with our small actions. 😊

Hi Geeta,

Just for an argument. What if an individual is stubborn and not listening to what you speak? What should we do then?

I would like to add one good example here...

Once a bunch of new recruits joined, and the appointment letter read that accommodation would be provided in the first week of joining the company. We meant only accommodation, no food. Only one guy used to come almost every day to say hello to me and had become friendly. After a week, when they were given the food bill, all of them were shocked because they thought food was included in accommodation. Though they paid the bill after 2 weeks or so, he told me this as a story, not as a complaint, about their expectation from the company. I informed our CEO about this, and he said the company would reimburse the food bill, and from next time onwards, the appointment letter would read (Company will provide accommodation only in the first week). In addition to this, I used to write very clearly in the email that food charges had to be borne by the new joiner.

So, this is the benefit of being professionally close to key people in the company. Does that make sense?

Thanks,
Geeta

Chum... what a name? :-P

I told different types of people are there. Either you know how to manage them or find alternatives to get the work done. And sometimes no result is achieved, but at least you know the pulse of the organization. It is important to know what the beliefs, feelings, and thoughts are making rounds...

You don't always discuss a problem to find an immediate solution, but yes, someone must raise the issue, and someone must pay attention to solve it... or know that there is a problem. (For corporates, ignorance is not bliss)

Communication, communication, and communication are the only keys. Most of the relationships improve or decay due to a lack of communication, which is sometimes the result of a lack of time with managers.

Every employee, apart from being part of the organization, faces numerous personal problems - social, family, financial, and so forth. Indeed, one comes to the job merely to solve these problems. What I have found is that if a manager/organization can discuss the personal problems of the employee and guide them towards a solution, the employee can focus more on work! Many big organizations now provide concierge facilities like financial consultation and other personal services.

Hi Geeta,

"Chum... what a name? :-P" That's my nickname. Is there any problem?

Okay, coming to the discussion... So, we can only manage such people, right? What is your view on changing the attitude of people?

I am in communication with Mr. Gireesh.

Communication is the key to absolute success.

In a recent feedback session with our engineers, we found that the underperformance of the erstwhile superb performing engineers has gone down drastically. The main reason for the same is a communication gap between seniors and juniors. When we addressed the problem, we got a good, speedy result in a matter of a few days.

When it comes to chum, I do agree that in spite of this, there are some employees who are stubborn. The concerned will be called for a discussion and one-on-one meeting. We would understand what is making him stubborn (might be the boss, colleagues, job responsibility, personal), then a solution can be arrived at based on the post. If he still is stubborn, part ways.

If an employee starts acting weird, it's time for you to act smart. For an employee acting weird, the reasons could be many - as stated above (just summing up): job dissatisfaction, overworked employees, under-appreciated employees, lack of challenges, less interaction/feedback from superiors, an employee could be looking for a change, or having some problem in the working environment (including supervisors and peers), etc., etc.

As an HR professional, we should be alert enough to catch these behaviors at the budding stage. Having a word with the employee at the time of the problem doesn't really help. Generally, employees treat HR as a detective agency and keep their distance. Therefore, the bond should be built up right from the beginning. A one-on-one conversation, if had over a coffee or a samosa (casual in approach), will help better. You need to present yourself as a friend, not just as an HR person, to truly understand where the real problem lies.

Now, the solutions:

1. Actively interact with employees (even before problems arise). Make sure to take a round of the floor at least once a day. Take time to say "hello" to all. If possible, stand with one or two employees and have a casual conversation - not only about their professional life but also their personal life.

2. Keep having regular town halls where employees can discuss their issues directly with top management and receive updates about the company's status. This makes them feel like part of the family. Ensure that all raised issues are properly addressed and resolved within a specified time, or else the whole exercise will be in vain.

3. Team Building Exercises: Make the workplace a place where people love to come. Incorporate fun activities, outings, or any innovative HR initiatives.

4. All the points mentioned above focus on prevention. If a problem arises, counseling is the way out. Dive deep into the problem and find an appropriate solution. Seek help from supervisors, managers, and senior managers if necessary.

5. Treat employees like babies occasionally, but ensure you are getting the best out of them and they are not taking advantage of your politeness and friendly behavior. Remind them of their responsibilities and duties for the organization from time to time.

I believe this is the best we can do. It involves many ifs and buts, but overcoming those challenges is part of our job. Hope it works! Cheers!

I was briefly working in an HR function for a company before CiteHR. During that time, I experienced that employees were very interested in talking to someone from the company who can forward their concerns without bias to the top management.

I was in close contact with the president of the company, and I had, at many times, forwarded requests or made suggestions about how to make sure the employees stay happy in the company. It was a small IT firm, and we had very high standards of recruiting - only IIT or brilliant programmers - the president didn't understand that these kinds of people require some extra attention, or they will leave.

One of the developers was very well known in the Linux development community - he was starting to become unhappy. I suggested to the president to send him to conferences he is interested in, with an additional task to promote our brand - it probably wouldn't have been too expensive - but the president didn't pay heed to my request.

Within two months, the developer got an offer from Nokia and left - another got an offer from HP and left.

The reason why I am telling everyone this story is because I think that it is the duty of the HR managers to go and "Say Hello" or see what's up with the employees. If the HR managers expect the employees to build a relationship with them, it would probably never work.

Good one to discuss.

In fact, the one thing that scares me is that an unhappy employee leads to another bunch of newborn unhappy employees. The message and feelings spread really fast.

To avoid such instances, I would try using the following strategies:

a) Learn to appreciate and incorporate this habit into every manager - to appreciate the people who report to him.

b) Sometimes, a simple nod may not serve the purpose. So it's necessary to let the employees know that their contributions are being valued and recorded for promotion consideration.

If an unhappy employee is identified, try to find out what exactly went wrong but in a calm atmosphere where the employee feels relaxed to explain the situation.

It usually arises that the employee is unsure about his abilities or is frustrated about someone else's treatment towards him/her not being up to the expected standards, or feels that he is not being recognized (including even financial components).

For the first concern: the employee is unsure about his abilities.

I or the Manager may quote instances where the employee's performance was much appreciated and try highlighting where recently he has just been off track and what he/she could do to overcome that shortcoming.

Regarding feeling frustrated about someone else's treatment not meeting expectations:

Counsel him/her towards how he could behave or expect reports in a better manner so that it would reduce any rough friction in the relationship. If investigations prove that the other person is really rude, then even counsel the person in discussion on how to improve the relationship through better communication.

The last issue: feeling that he is not being recognized (including even financial components).

I would highlight his performance track and point out the areas where he could perform much better to be considered for a promotion or a raise.

Pointing out never helps. Showing the facts and pointing out areas to be improved may help.

Yes, it's absolutely right that once the personal problems are discussed by HR, the employee, in turn, shows signs of fulfillment and interest towards working effectively.

Communication... communication, and communication is the only key. Most of the relations improve or decay due to a lack of communication, which sometimes is the result of a lack of time with managers. Every employee (apart from being part of the organizations) faces lots of personal problems: social, family, financial, and so forth. Indeed, one comes to the job merely to solve these problems. What I found is that if a manager/organization can discuss the personal problems of the employee and guide him with a solution, the employee can focus more on work! Many big organizations now provide concierge facilities like Financial Consultation and other personal services.

This happens too often - an employee suddenly starts acting weird and showing signs of unhappiness. I am going to put in my ways of dealing with this and I would like other members to put in theirs.

This is usually the first sign of an employee going astray from his/her responsibilities and eventually shifting to another organization in hope that it'll help change the way he/she is feeling.

The main reasons I feel this happens:

1) Over worked employees.

2) Under-appreciated employees

3) Lack of challenges.

4) Less interaction/feedback from superiors.

All the above issues can be resolved if u preach and put the below mentioned lessons into action, which I learned from Kenneth Blanchard & Spenser Johnson book ONE MINUTE MANAGER. If each individual a manager or not a manager applies in his professional and personal life will bring happiness to the employees and people around him

One Minute Goals: Summary

One Minute Goal Setting is simply:

1. Agree on your goals.

2. See what good behavior looks like.

3. Write out each of your goals on a single sheet of paper using

less than 250 words.

4. Read and re-read each goal, which requires only a minute or so

each time you do it.

5. Take a minute every once in a while out of your day to look at

your performance, and

6. See whether or not your behavior matches your goal

One Minute Praisings: Summary

The One Minute Praising works well when you:

1. Tell people up front that you are going to let them know how

they are doing.

2. Praise people immediately.

3. Tell people what they did right—be specific.

4. Tell people how good you feel about what they did right, and

how it helps the organization and the other people who work

there.

5. Stop for a moment of silence to let them “feel” how good you

feel.

6. Encourage them to do more of the same.

7. Shake hands or touch people in a way that makes it clear that

you support their success in the organization

One Minute Reprimands: Summary

The One Minute Reprimand works well when you:

1.Tell people beforehand that you are going to let them know how they are doing and in no uncertain terms

The first half of the reprimand:

2. Reprimand people immediately.

3. Tell people what they did wrong—be specific.

4. Tell people how you feel about what they did wrong—and in no

uncertain terms.

5. Stop for a few seconds of uncomfortable silence to let them feel

how you feel.

The second half of the reprimand:

6. Shake hands, or touch them in a way that lets them know you are

honestly on their side.

7. Remind them how much you value them.

8. Reaffirm that you think well of them but not of their performance

in this situation.

9. Realize that when the reprimand is over, it's over.

Regards,

Pournima

For instance, A reports to B, and B in turn reports to C. A is highly qualified and more intelligent than B (despite reporting to B). A doesn't have access to C, and C is unaware that all the work is being done by A. The result: there is no proper system in place, leading to a lack of recognition and demotivation. Do you have any suggestions for this situation?

TM

Hello All,

I have one query. Other departments can escalate their problems to the HR department. But where will an HR person go if he/she is frustrated with the company or the boss? If the topmost management is unreachable to that junior HR person and the only bridge of contact between this individual and the top management is the boss who is causing the problem, then who is there in the organization to solve this person's problem?

Regards,
Aparajita

Hi everyone,

I have one more reason why employees start behaving strangely.

Can anyone think of a situation where you do not have any faith in your management or Board of Directors?

No type of communication is effective if employees do not have faith in their management or the company itself.

I have been through a situation where I used to feel like quitting my job just within 4 months of my DOJ. But because of the market situation, I could not take immediate action on this, and I started getting frustrated. The main reason was unprofessionalism shown by the Board of Directors. None of the employees had faith in their management team. No one was satisfied working in such an atmosphere. And it is not a small company; they have a turnover of 500cr.

Gradually, even I started behaving strangely. My managers knew the reason behind my behavior, and even they accepted it because they felt the same.

What could be the remedy in such a situation?

So what I believe is that rather than taking curative measures, organizations should take preventive measures so that such a situation never arises. And even after all preventive measures are in place and a positive atmosphere prevails, I believe that counseling can help or, as a last resort, terminate the employee before the bunch starts to rot.

With Regards,

Jigar Gangar

Hi,

I am in a sort of situation which Kavita explained. To be in person A's shoes hurts, and there seems to be no way out. Any suggestions? :(

Dear Neha,

What you can do is mingle with other departments and try to gain access to the same level person. Do something innovative that is noticed by other departments as well. This will spread your name, and somehow, if your department head is keeping his eye and ears open, then he will surely notice it. So participate in all extra activities that do not require your immediate superior's intervention. This could help you. It might take time and a lot of effort and creativity from you, but when you consider yourself more qualified, then you can even sell a comb to a bald man.

With regards,
Jigar Gangar

Hello, In my experience keeping a tab on all the employees is a successful method of preventing heartburns/burnouts/fatigue amongst the employees. I do this by discussing with them on a lot of varied subjects intermingled with the requirements of the company so as to know their strengths, weaknesses. Once this is done, the work which is earlier divided into monotonous (regular) work; exciting (superficially team leading at a lower level for small assignments) and challenging/strenuous (which needed to be delivered yesterday but given tomorrow) - to gauge their capabilities and delivery capabilities - so as to assess them for future growth in the company. This is done as a tool to prevent attrition and to encourage the employees to deliver better with a view of higher placement in the company. This is recorded in regular checking and revamping of skill sets, reviews, monthly informal get-together of the employees and the management where the employees are made to speak freely of their operational delivery problems and solutions thereto and thus convert the session into a brainstorming one. The forthcoming brighter employees are coached further to come out with solutions and thus nurture them to join the management cadre. Earlier in the induction of an employee, the process is explained along with the responsibilities, hierarchy, and his role as a team player. The importance of each step of the function is explained and demonstrated as to how it would affect the final product/result. Once we thus build a proactive team we let them take over the induction program of the new employees to see the effectiveness of our coaching them. Making them so involved in the business, I have found that instead of causing mid-term burnouts, fatigue, reaching a plateau in achievement etc, they are vibrant and looking forward to taking on responsibilities once they realize that taking on more responsibility increasingly pays them. While rewards are guaranteed when and how is kept as a secret so as to make it a pleasant surprise to the employees. We showcase each achievement of an employee and the importance to it - however little it is - so as to make it vital for all to join in the effort to work better. We demonstrate the effects of wrong work so as to stop further mistakes. We do not punish people for the mistakes committed. We have thus solved attrition, filtered the weaker section (as they drop out within 3 months) and have built & are sustaining a strong team. We have achieved a lean and mean team, committed to the core. One most important thing many managements are found to do is to pay well in good times and talk of cuts in bad times. We have desisted from this as it was not required at all due to the fact we have achieved low costs of operations and have shored the bottom line and paying higher amongst employees has never caused the management any heartburn so far. Many may find this difficult or not possible in different activities. But keeping the atmosphere in the workplace very conducive really helps reduce many problems in industries. regards

Hi,

As a method of handling unrest in employees, I had given my earlier reply. As a suggestion for ideal reactions to employees when they feel a lack of confidence with the management behavior, please find my inputs as under:

1. The disgruntled employee has to first note down the reasons for feeling disgruntled/unhappy, etc., at the workplace.
2. Once this is done, he will have to wait for a day so that, as time passes by, reactions would dilute or strengthen. So the next day, do the editing of the list and have a discussion with your coworker/team mate. If everybody feels the same, then it seems that you have touched a universal problem. If nobody shares your anxiety, then it is a unique problem being faced by you. So, then you will have to have a discussion with your team leader/department head to find out the causes of such feelings in you. If there are any issues about your work etc., you will be made known. If it is simple, correct your stance and go ahead. If it is serious, then decide how to go ahead - either step up your skill sets or opt for a change in the job if possible. Talk to your HR Manager. With these positive actions, one should be able to come out of the problems faced by them in the company.

However, if it is a behavioral problem where the management is very autocratic and uncaring about employees, then I think you should not be wasting your time. Remember, all of us work for our livelihood, but if we love our jobs, we work better, and if the work atmosphere is conducive, the employer will enjoy better results from our work. Take the bull by the horns. You cannot let problems persist for long as it will destroy you. If everything fails, Move On.

Regards

In my opinion, nothing happens all of a sudden. It's the man at the top and the work philosophy he believes in. If he encourages such communication or is open to such feedback, probably then an employee will not suddenly start acting weird and showing signs of unhappiness.

In such situations, either the sufferer himself, a courageous HR professional, or his operational boss has to take the initiative to vent out the reasons for choking (whether it's overworked employees, underappreciated employees, lack of challenges, or less interaction/feedback from superiors) to the system and adopt a corrective course.

But nobody would dare if they know it won't matter to the top brass and this feedback can result in their own suffering. In such cases, shifting to an alternate job might be the right choice.

There is no doubt, however, that communication is the key to the whole issue. Proper communication will also help to remove any misunderstandings or misconceptions about the employee himself or his job situation that he might be in, as sometimes his wrong perceptions may also make him feel unhappy.

What to do when employees start acting weird and showing signs of unhappiness?

I would like to share the methods followed by us to handle these situations proactively. Right from the day of induction, we start interacting with them formally and informally depending on the cases. We convey to them that we are their dedicated point of contact for everything they require for the smooth functioning of their job. Now, this includes the below-mentioned areas:

1. Employee Satisfaction Surveys

2. Problem Resolution in a timely manner. Adherence to TAT is very important to build trust and confidence in them.

3. Weekly/Monthly meetings with them discussing their experiences with us.

4. Monthly Skip Level Meetings

5. Monitoring their performance/attendance/overall professional attitude (during training and also once they start performing).

6. You also need to analyze the past track records of an employee to get a clear insight about the candidate.

These factors also help us to identify possible attrition cases beforehand, and we execute all possible efforts to retain them.

We should follow the 4 principles in handling such cases - Interact, Identify, Change & Monitor.

Thanks & Regards,

Sumit Sharma

Deputy Manager- HR

(Employee Relations)

Dear Fellow members,

I think all points have been covered beautifully, except a few; so I shall dwell upon those left untouched.

Quite often, the repressed frustrations of employees manifest themselves in the form of "weird acting". To enable such feelings to come out without inhibition or fear of reprisals, one can have a model Grievance Redressal Policy and Procedure, a multi-tier system which maintains the confidentiality of the aggrieved to the extent possible.

Another reason could be - personal problems. From my experience as an HR professional in old economy industries, I have seen employees suffering from personal problems which change with the life stage they are in. So, from involuntary spinsterhood to under-achievement of progeny, marriage or marital life of daughters to ailing old parents, there is a wide range of personal problems that an individual employee has to cope with.

An HR person is not just an office functionary. He is supposed to be a "friend, philosopher, and guide" in the true sense of the word, to every employee. And why not? It depends on his sense of commitment. Whether he just wants to be another "paper-pusher" busy with various paperwork; or he has genuine interest in the area of his specialization, namely "Human Resources"?

To illustrate, is not a good marketing manager obsessed with market share, competitor's strategy, his channel management, publicity, and sales incentives, new product launches, etc.?

A corporate finance manager is obsessed to an extreme with capital expenditure, financing decisions, new avenues of raising funds, getting a better deal from FIs, devising audits, checks, and balances, etc.

A production manager knows each nut and bolt of his production system, maintenance schedule, replacement of parts, specifications, suppliers, competitive products, and processes, etc.

What we find is that these professionals are not just in touch, but immersed in their core areas. Whereas, most HR managers keep their core of interest - the "human resources" at arm's length. They are more happy to do bureaucratic office tasks with the typical impersonal touch of a bureaucrat. They never try to build rapport with human resources. My seniors would tell me that an average HR person should know the names and recognize by face, each and every employee; and a good HR person should know the family and the problems of each and every employee. And I am talking about employee numbers in thousands.

Sitting on their ivory towers will not help unlock the mystery of an employee acting weird or looking unhappy. Once the communication barriers are demolished, HR becomes more accessible; it becomes easy to get to the roots of the problem. Employee counseling helps; a patient ear and a reassuring hand on the shoulders go a long way in brightening up the life of a miserable employee.

Regards.

Very nice topic. In fact, nowadays I noticed the same condition with my colleague. I don't know why, but she suddenly started behaving like this, as if she's not happy with any decision taken by the boss. In fact, when our boss calls us to discuss anything related to work, she just doesn't suggest or talk about anything. Then finally, my boss called her into the cabin and directly asked her what the problem was. Now, she's happy. I think she was just waiting for the same.

On the other hand, it depends. If an employee is not happy with anything, it means there's something that he/she is expecting from their boss.

Hi Geeta,

Your reply to Chum was very professional. However, let me ask you something: if the boss himself lacks confidence in his subordinates and keeps favoring a particular person by adding new portfolios and challenging tasks to him, the rest of the team members will be dejected. How should one handle this situation?

Regards, Anuradha Ganesh

Hi Anuradha,

In this topic, we have dealt at length with company processes - how they should be and what management and HR can do. I am really happy that so many people have taken the time to share their valuable opinions.

What you are raising are individual issues. I have been lucky to work with bosses whom I respected for their knowledge and decision-making capabilities. I have also been fortunate to work with business heads. Throughout my career, I have never had the opportunity to work under a senior HR professional. All my knowledge is from my hard work or advice from business leaders, so I can't really help if you have a low-quality boss.

But if you start a new thread, many people will reach out to help you.

Thanks,
Geeta

Hi Anuradha!

This is in response to your last post.

I worked for a year after completing my B.Tech. During that time, I faced a situation as I was a fresher at that time.

My boss was very skeptical about assigning tasks to newbies, whereas new joiners are in the same boat as a newlywed bahu; they always look for guidance, support, motivation, and encouragement from their superiors.

However, then I thought if such a situation persisted for long, I would become dull. So, I used to go to my boss and asked him to give me work. I started asking him my doubts and tried to show him my interest in work.

Later, what I realized was my boss wasn't confident at all in his employees. There was only one guy whom he used to trust for work; the rest were fools to him. When I showed him my zeal and interest to learn, he assigned me to work with that guy whom he used to trust.

Thanks to that guy, he developed more confidence in me than my boss, and he started handing over me the work. Subsequently, after five or six months, the branch head recognized my work, and he directly assigned me to work under him on an international project.

Therefore, what I am trying to focus on is that sometimes we have to find our ways to deal with such situations. As you have mentioned the boss lacks confidence, the same was my case. What you do is directly go to him, ask him for the work, show him the enthusiasm and zeal, give new ideas to him regarding work. If you won't share it with your boss, he will never come to know what you are going through.

Go for it, Anuradha! Awaiting your reply!

Happy times to you!

Manpreet Kaur

Hi everyone,

I would like to discuss an incident that occurred at our small engineering firm. I typically interact with people every day and inform my management about their concerns. However, a few months ago, while I was on leave, one of my employees left and claimed that HR had deceived him by getting him to sign papers without his knowledge.

Upon my return, my management was already informed about the situation. They advised the employee to wait for a few days so we could discuss the matter, but he was unwilling to listen to anyone and decided to leave. Around the same time, I had recruited 10 new employees. When I gathered them and my management to discuss the situation, I found out that they were all aware of the procedures and nothing had been hidden from them.

Despite the management's support throughout, it is disheartening to hear the employee's accusation of HR cheating him.

Thank you.

Hello Sir,

My colleagues and I are facing the same problem. We are all too frustrated because of our immediate boss. He is not supporting or guiding us at all. Recognizing good work seems to be beyond him. He only gives us suggestions and is unable to make decisions quickly. It is extremely frustrating as work progresses slowly because of this.

Our other managers are aware of the situation, and sometimes they support us. However, no action has been taken against him even after complaints.

I will soon complete my first year and become confirmed. Despite this, I am considering leaving. Please guide me.

Regards, Shreyas.

Nice topic :) I am not an HR professional, but I can cite one incident where the leaders fail to identify the skills of the individuals working in the company. The reason? Lack of proper communication, lack of clarity, and lack of focus.

They follow a method of collecting information about team members from their favorite guys. Now, these guys provide misleading information about others and create an impression that they are the only ones who work hard, while others are just wasting the time and money of the company.

During performance appraisals, none of the other team members were even considered for a raise or promotion because of the wrong picture painted, while the trusted individuals receive a nice hike and/or promotion. As a result, other members become demotivated and start leaving the company. After around 50 - 60 resignations, one of the management team members says they still don't understand what went wrong :D.

So, what went wrong here? :D

Hi,

"What to do when employees start acting weird and showing signs of unhappiness?"

Very good article!! Can you please let me know the other practical approaches to address these issues, which are very common in professional life.

Thanks,
Latha

Yes,

This is very true and possible in any company to happen. A company is best managed when it follows an open-door policy - means anyone can approach any senior at a mutually agreed and accepted time. It does not follow hierarchy very strictly. Though employees must follow the process of escalation as expected, if an employee feels that his grievances can be addressed by a particular senior, then he must have access to that senior after exhausting all escalation channels. Also, if the key people maintain transparency in their decisions/relationships with all concerned, keep their eyes and ears open, then they can observe a lot of relational dynamics happening around.

A senior, instead of enjoying one employee backbiting another senior in front of him, tries to justify his actions. Then office politics can be minimized. He may check out and pass the feedback to the other senior at a later time, but in front of junior employees, all senior employees must maintain a professional dignity.

It depends a lot on core people to what extent they can inculcate transparency in the company culture.

Yes, this is very true and possible in any company to happen. A company is best managed when it follows an open-door policy - meaning anyone can approach any senior at a mutually agreed and accepted time. It does not strictly follow hierarchy. Though employees must follow the process of escalation as expected, if an employee feels that his grievances can be addressed by a particular senior, then he must have access to that senior after exhausting all escalation channels. Also, if the key people maintain transparency in their decisions/relationships with all concerned, keep their eyes and ears open, they can observe a lot of relational dynamics happening around.

A senior, instead of enjoying one employee backbiting another senior in front of him, tries to justify his actions; then office politics can be minimized. He may check out and pass the feedback to the other senior at a later time, but in front of junior employees, all senior employees must maintain a professional dignity. It depends a lot on core people to what extent they can inculcate transparency in the company culture.

That's true, but how can the senior identify if one employee is backbiting another if there is no proper method to validate the feedback? What will be the outcome of a decision made on false information? There are times when the HR department doesn't come into the picture at all. The end result will be a demotivated employee. So, I think it's not just about communication; it's all about "proper communication." The best part comes when the employee loses belief in management and loses his focus. 😄

Hi,

I would like to share my viewpoint on this issue. It is very apparent that these days we have unsatisfied employees, and most of the employees leave the job not because they dislike the job but because they cannot tolerate their boss.

It is the most common human tendency to yearn for importance and recognition. When people are spending a huge chunk of time at the office, why don't we create an environment where they feel important and recognized for their efforts? It's not a big task for an efficient manager; he/she can very well make the employees feel important by their dealings, and the best part is "listening." You cannot give a better gift to an employee than listening to them.

Regards,
Shubha S. Varier

Hi CHR,

And what to do and how to handle cases when issues arise from senior employees, mostly due to their differences with their bosses. Can good communication with the employees be the only solution here? Please guide.

Regards,
Sdd.

Definitely, communication plays a dominant role. If good communication doesn't happen, it might lead to cold wars within the organization, and the entire work environment and culture are adversely affected.

Regards,
Shubha S. Varier

The HR person should be a people specialist. He/she should have the ability to connect and relate to people at all levels and should come across as someone whom people would like to talk to about uncomfortable or concerning situations.

Communication is the most important tool to handle such people-related matters. Unhappiness or unusual behavior in people are situational matters; therefore, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution for people-related issues. Each individual is unique and will present a distinct set of challenges.

Therefore, effective people management supported by good communication skills will provide true and efficient solutions.

Best Wishes,
Vasant Nair

One of the points that could be added to this would also be personal grievances in which something can or cannot be done much. Most of the time, it will be noticed that the senior management is really not interacting directly as one would expect. Nevertheless, they would be open to feedback. In such cases, we as immediate bosses must intervene, find out the root cause exactly, and voice out the issues. Though macro management is not something within our control, micro management is.

I have come across many such situations regularly where I see that my team member tells me that they want to submit their resignation. In fact, it hasn't happened out of the blue as we frequently interact with them to ensure that they are in the mental and physical state to meet the requirements.

So, though the larger picture may not be within our reach, the smaller portion definitely is.

Well, look here, fellas. What have we got here? A great discussion on employees acting weird. It seems most, or almost all, term the problem to be with employees only, and no one ever relates it to HR. It seems like everyone thinks HR is the most perfect person on earth.

So, friends, we employees will never treat HR as a friend. For us, HR is a person who should handle our salary and promotion, among other things. We have our reporting officer who takes care of all these things.

What I suggest to you all is, sometimes you just act weird. Leave aside employees; you yourself act strangely once an employee submits resignation. You speak to the employees in a manner as if you are the top secret officer of some national security nuclear reactor. You make the employee run from floor to floor for their needs. I have seen many employees complaining about HR. Even for a single certificate, HR made employees run many times. Is this what you have learned?

Always remember, as you sow, so shall you reap. Don't think employees are slaves. Give respect and take respect. Any cheating with employees will always come back to you, so beware.

Just be normal with employees. There is no need to show fake smiles and hellos when you take rounds. This behavior makes employees more concerned about your character. Don't show favoritism by giving increments only to those people who are your friends or recruiting only your referred persons without checking if they are qualified. It is corruption.

So, improve yourself, and you will observe the change. Don't put the blame on others and label it as weird behavior. Remember, you are smart. There is a proverb, "You yourself prick the baby and then ask it why it is crying." Mind it.

In other words, the simplest solution is here. What to do when employees start acting weird and showing signs of unhappiness?

If it is only one employee, then consider addressing the issue with the employee. Encouraging open communication and offering support can help resolve the situation positively.

If all employees start acting strangely, it may indicate a larger underlying issue within the workplace. In such cases, it is essential to investigate the root cause of the problem and take necessary steps to address it. This may involve improving communication, addressing workplace culture issues, or providing additional support to employees.

Resignation should not be the immediate solution in either scenario. It is important to approach employee concerns with empathy and professionalism to foster a positive work environment for all.

Discussion would not always help. An employee should get smarter to understand:
1. What the workplace environment is like (present and past).
2. Most importantly, what are the boss's priorities?
3. What is appreciated, who gets it, and how the person manages to get it?
4. Know your office colleagues, their areas of work, and strengths to mitigate or share work in different areas. In case you can develop the quality to identify a person for different work for your boss.

It is more important for an employee to ADAPT to the work environment and follow the basics to know what works, rather than getting into the mold that 'this is the way I work'.